Government Assistance

FEMA Assistance

Other Government Assistance

The nearest Recovery Center to the Energy Corridor is at Katy Mills Mall, 5000 Mills Circle. Starting September 11, it will be open from 7am-7pm. Recovery specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the State and other agencies will be at the centers to talk about assistance and to help anyone who needs guidance in filing an application.

Housing Assistance

FEMA's Transitional Shelter Assistance
Those eligible for FEMA's Transitional Shelter Assistance program may be able to stay at a participating hotel free of charge temporarily if they are unable to return home.
Phone: 800-462-7585Website/Participating hotels

Legal Assistance

Houston Volunteer Lawyers are offering free legal assistance to those affected by Harvey.

State Bar of Texas Disaster Hotline
The hotline - answered in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese - connects low-income people affected by a disaster with legal aid providers in their area who can help with such issues as replacing lost documents, answering insurance questions, helping with landlord-tenant problems, and handling consumer protection concerns such as price-gouging and contractor scams during the rebuilding process. Callers can leave a message at any time.
Phone: 800-504-7030

Houston Bar Association
The Houston Bar Association will host a live phone bank manned by licensed Texas lawyers - Monday through Friday, 3-5 pm now through September 29. Extended hours (5-9 pm) will be offered on Wednesday, September 6, and Wednesday, September 20. The same service will be provided for Spanish speakers on Thursday, September 7, between the hours of 5-9 pm.
Phone: 713-759-1133 during the hours of operation.

Medical Assistance

Houston Medical Wellness Clinic
5910 Fairdale Lane, Houston, TX 77057
Offering free clinic visitations and free medications for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Dr. Jennifer LaBleu will see patients with non-emergency conditions and provide medications for conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, infections, asthma and high cholesterol. When the supply of medications on hand are exhausted, prescriptions will be provided until more supplies can be delivered. Walk-ins are welcome. Appointments may be made by phone.
Phone: 713-781-1905

Disaster Distress Helpline by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration
A 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster. Phone: 800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

Business Assistance

U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration offers low-interest, long-term disaster loans to small businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters to repair or replace uninsured/underinsured disaster damaged property.
Phone: 800-659-2955Website

Barbara Bush Elementary

If you have items for donation, please email mybushstore@gmail.com for details of where donations can be delivered to.

St Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church

1100 Eldridge Pkwy, Houston, TX 77077

ECHOrchestra Musician Relief Fund

Several orchestra members have been severely affected by the flooding and devastation of the hurricane. Please consider a financial contribution in any amount to help our fellow musicians begin to rebuild their homes and their lives.https://www.gofundme.com/echomusicianharveyrelief

Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

Mayor Sylvester Turner established this fund through the Greater Houston Community Foundation to provide tax-deductible flood relief donations for those affected by the historic flooding.Website

Baker Ripley

This local non-profit has been helping low-income Houstonians for 110 years, since its founding in 1907.Website

Society of St. Vincent de Paul Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

This volunteer-based network will work to meet emergency needs such as clothing, food, and medical supplies to re-housing families and refurnishing their houses to create homes.Website

Houston Food Bank

America's largest food bank is prepared to mobilize resources across Houston, asking for volunteers, donations, and monetary contributions. Their donation page reminds that every $1 donated provides 3 meals.Website

Houston PetSet Disaster Relief Fund

Houston PetSet is an umbrella organization that provides grants to a variety of area nonprofits, including Houston Humane Society, K-9 Angels Rescue, Barrio Dogs and more.Website

Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston

Working across faith communities, IMGH resettles refugees and provides extensive Meals on Wheels services for homebound seniors and their pets. They are currently soliciting donations to help support their Meals on Wheels operation.Website

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

In a normal year, this organization helps more than 82,000 people annually of all religious backgrounds with food, shelter, and disaster relief.Website

Coalition for the Homeless of Houston

As the lead agency responding to homelessness in Houston, this organization is accepting monetary donations to rehouse formerly homeless individuals.Website

Texas Diaper Bank

While not Houston-based, this organization donates diapers to shelters, a resource typically not provided by disaster relief organizations. Monetary donations are accepted here, or you can purchase diapers from the Amazon wish list that will go to their efforts.Website

St John Vianney Catholic Church

St. John Vianney's Youth Lounge is now a supply center for those who were affected by Harvey. Items in the supply center include cleaning supplies, tools, toiletries, diapers and more. The Youth Lounge is located near the basketball court of the Activity Center. The supply center is open 9 am-8 pm Monday-Friday, and 9 am-5 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Joseph’s Coat will also assist with free clothing and St. John Vianney's Food Pantry; which supplies non-perishable items. Both Joseph Coat and the Food Pantry will be open Monday-Friday 11 am -7 pm and on Saturday and Sunday 9 am-5 pm.
For additional assistance or to volunteer email sjvrelief@stjohnvianney.org
Location: 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail, Houston, TX 77079Website

Ashford Community Church

Volunteer Opportunities

The Energy Corridor District is helping put those affected by Harvey in touch with volunteers willing to lend a hand. Through Volunteer Houston, interested parties can sign-up for opportunities to help our neighbors recover and rebuild. We can’t guarantee a response, but we can ensure your request is seen by as many people as possible.

Crisis Cleanup

Crisis Cleanup is open source and powered mostly by dedicated volunteers.
Phone: 844-965-1386

Rebuild Briarhills

The website is here to help connect volunteers with homeowners in need. All you have to do is get on the website, register as a volunteer or as a homeowner, staff/volunteers will start to pair people together. A GoFundMe page is raising money to offset the cost of annual assessments for the houses that flooded.Website

Second Baptist Church

Sign up to volunteer as an individual, a group, or organization.Website

Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church

CEPC is housing and hosting 100 or so Samaritan's Purse volunteers for the next several months.Website

West Houston Assistance Ministries

Grace Presbyterian Church

Bayou City Relief

Christ The Redeemer

Volunteer Houston

LDS Charities

LDS Charities connects with local LDS Church leaders to receive reports and coordinate response efforts such as cleaning up homes and yards damaged by the disaster. Once the cleanup requests have been processed by LDS Church emergency operations centers, LDS Church leaders in areas surrounding the disaster receive requests for help in clean-up efforts. The LDS Church emergency operations center in Houston will also consult the list of volunteers in this JustServe project. Emails will be sent to you letting you know if your help is needed.Website

NPR Resource Guide

NPR has put together a comprehensive list of ways to help those affected by Harvey.Website

University of Houston Resource Guide

UH has put together a list of resources for storm relief and related information. Website

Transportation

Up-to-Date Road Conditions

Many Houston roadways were impacted by Harvey, resulting in multiple closures and detours, several of which continue to affect traffic. Because the traffic situation changes on a daily basis, consult the following websites and smartphone apps for up-to-date road conditions and street closures:

You can also report road conditions, including high water locations, via Waze or the Houston 311 app. Both are free smartphone applications available for iOS and Android.

Transportation Alternatives

If your vehicle is among the estimated 1 million destroyed during Harvey and you need transportation to work, school, or to run errands, carpooling, transit, bicycling, and other options like Uber and Lyft are good transportation options.

Enterprise CarShare

Need a car to run errands? Short-term car rentals are available to rent by the hour in the Energy Corridor; all fuel and liability protection are included in the hourly rate.

There's no need to visit a brick and mortar store. You can view CarShare vehicle locations, availability, and make reservations online at the Enterprise CarShare website, via the Enterprise CarShare app, or by calling customer service at 855-383-1212.

Public Transit

Good news if you’re a student! METRO announced last Friday that all students can ride METRO for FREE throughout September.Website

If you’re unfamiliar with riding Houston METRO, you can plan your trip using METRO’s Trip Planning tools on their website or at www.ridemetro.org or Google Maps by selecting public transit directions.

Contact customer service at 713-635-4000 for additional information or assistance if you can’t find it on the website.

Ridesharing

If no reasonable bus option exists, you can explore ridesharing options.

Metropia Houston is an online carpooling service to match people willing to share an empty seat with those in need of a ride. Visit houston-riding.metropia.com and enter your basic trip information; you'll be notified via email when a trip match is made.

Waze Carpool has also arrived in Houston. Enter your home and work/school location in your profile and indicate your willingness to share a ride or that you need a ride. Waze carpoolers can offer free rides or request reimbursement for gas money in the app.

METRO STAR Vanpool can also help employees get back to work by establishing vanpools of four or more individuals who live and work nearby each other. Register at star.ridemetro.org or reach out to Ken Myers directly at kmyers@starvanpool.com or (713) 438-3081.

Bicycling

Many Houstonians have turned to bicycles to get around and/or bypass traffic as many road closures and detours have created significant congestion in certain areas.

If you’re unfamiliar with the rules of the road or need a refresher, visit our Bicycle Tips & Resources page online.

Keep Houston Rolling, an initiative led by Houston Bike Share and BikeHouston, are collecting donated bikes and delivering them to those in need. To apply for a donated bike or contribute to this effort, click here.